This invention relates to a body restraint for invalid patients and the like.
Body restraints are known which wrap around a patient's torso and which are provided with a strap only at waist level which can be secured to a bed or chair. It has been found that patients can sometimes release themselves from such restraints, as by struggling to get the shoulder portion off, which then permits the restraint to slide down the body over the legs.
At least some of the above-identified patents disclose body restraint devices which make it more difficult for a patient to struggle out of them. These devices usually have included some sort of further strap or holding device at shoulder level. However, many of these restraints are cumbersome and complex to manipulate, are subject to tangling or twisting, and are relatively expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, some of them rely on metal fasteners or the like, which can be a danger to the patient. In addition, some do not permit the patient to turn or be turned when in bed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved body restraint which is not subject to the above disadvantages, and which is simple to apply to the patient, yet firmly holds the patient against undesirale release.
In accordance with the various aspects of the invention, a wrap around patient restraint is provided which includes a unitary vest body having a front panel and a pair of separable back panels having vertical edge portions which are normally adapted to overlap. The vest body also has a lower horizontal edge portion at approximately waist level.
The inner and outer overlapping vertical edge portions of the back panels are respectively provided with attached reinforcing straps, with their attachment to the vest body terminating at the top of the panels adjacent the neck portion. The outer strap extends beyond the attachment terminus to form a first elongated free end for attachment to a bed or the back of a wheelchair. A horizontal slot is disposed in the vest body above the terminus of the outer strap attachment. The inner strap also extends beyond its attachment terminus to form a second elongated free end which passes outwardly through the horizontal slot.
Likewise, the lower horizontal edge portion of the vest body is provided with an attached waist encircling reinforcing strap. The attachment terminates at the overlapping lower corners of the back panels and each end of the strap thereupon extends freely from its respective corner. The strap extending from the inner lower corner of one back panel passes outwardly through a vertical slot disposed in the opposite back panel, while the strap extending in the opposite direction from the outer lower corner of the other back panel passes through a loop in the respective opposite back panel. The vertical slot passes through the material of the vest body itself and also the waist encircling reinforcing strap, and is partially offset upwardly from the plane of the latter. The free ends of the waist encircling strap are adapted for attachment to the bedframe of a bed or the arm portions of a wheelchair.